MINNEAPOLIS (June 13, 2003) Ė The third stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix was held in downtown Minneapolis. A 1.2 kilometer, pancake flat lap, the setting was a perfect venue for the thousands of spectators lining the streets. With a concert in the background, and a beautiful, clear warm evening, the cafes were packed, and people were ready to party as the cyclists threw their best blows in an effort to claim the Nature Valley Grand Prix title.

With a total of 45 seconds of time bonuses on the line, the overall was far from decided in both the women's and men's races. In the women's standings, Saturn was nicely placed in first and second with Katie Mactier and Manon Jutras, but with sprinter extraordinaires Tina Mayolo and Sarah Ulmer breathing down their respective necks only 32 seconds back, the time bonuses certainly were race deciders.

It was suppose to be a 40-minute race through the streets of downtown Minneapolis.

Saturnís Ina Teutenberg turned it into a 40-minute time trial.

The German took off from the start of the gun in the inaugural Minneapolis Downtown Classic, the third stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, and never looked back. Joined on two separate occasions by only one other rider, she cruised to a 5-second win over T-Mobileís Stacy Peters, with Saturnís Laura VanGilder winning the sprint to third.

While Teutenberg looked to do all the work, she took little credit for the win.

With many sprint bonuses and primes for bonus time on the general classification, Saturn controlled the race from all aspects of the course to deny any bonuses to Diet Riteís Tina Mayolo-Pic and TDS Telecomís Sarah Ullmer, both sitting second and fourth respectively overall.

A sick VanGilder even used all the kick she had to deny Ullmer the third-place bonus time on the finish.

"I gave one for the team today," she said, describing her illness as a cold.

Katie Mactier, who wore the leaderís red jersey after Friday morningís time trial, said the race couldnít have worked more perfectly for her and the team, but also wondered about the strategy of the other teams. The race saw few attempts by Mayolo-Picís Diet Rite to bridge the gap to Teutenberg, who at times had her break up to 20 seconds and never fell below 10 seconds.

TDS made some early attempts but never were able to have a rider hold Teutenbergís wheel.

"There seemed to be a lot of riders racing for themselves this evening," she said.

Rona-Eskerís Karen Bockel thought it was just Saturn, with some help from T-Mobile, shutting down any attempts.

"They were trying to control the race," said Bockel, who dropped from fourth to fifth in the general classification, 29 seconds down to Mactier.

Peters did give credit to her team for allowing her to stay out just less that half the race. She said it was not in her plans at the start.

"I did not feel particularly good at the start of the race," she said. "When I made the jump, it was the first time I had seen the front of the pack all day. It was just good timing, I guess."
But the kudos came back to Teutenberg.

"She was just so awesome," Peters said.

In the menís races, there have been three stages, and three different teams winning.

But the red jersey leader in the Nature Valley Grand Prix has a familiar look.

7-Up/Maxxis received a hard-earned win for Dan Schmatz in the inaugural Minneapolis Downtown Classic Ė a 60-minute, .8-mile circuit race that was the third stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix Ė while Navigatorís Cieran Power smartly took back the red leaderís jersey after placing third in the finish.

It turned out to be all about the bonus times at the finish and in sprints that put Power back into red after losing the jersey in Friday morningís time trial.

"This was a perfect race for me," said Power, who won the open stage road race on Thursday and took 55 seconds in bonus time on Friday. "Navigators just did their own race and it worked out for me."

Jelly Bellyís new pro rider Adam Bergman also road his own race, but in the end his results were not so sweet. Wearing the red leaderís jersey after Friday morningís time trial, he finished in the main pack 37 seconds down to the leaders and 44 seconds down to Power in the G.C., third overall.

The results, though, did not seem to worry him too much.

"I had no teammates today, so I had to conserve some of my energy for Saturday and Sunday, " he said. "Iím confident I can give it a go. Iíll definitely be a threat."

Bergmanís strategy was questioned by Saturnís Mark McCormack, who sat second in the G.C. after the time trial and is fourth currently.

"He was glued to my wheel all day," said McCormack, who was in an early break of 12 for the first half of the race but finished in the pack, as well, 38 seconds down.

"You canít just let the guy who is in third ride away with the bonuses," he said, referring to Power. "I was kind of surprised he wasnít willing to stick his neck out more. "

For McCormack, his team has so many guns it did not matter if he stuck his neck out or not. Although in fourth place, second overall now belongs to McCormackís teammate, Viktor Rapinski, who also finished second in the Minneapolis stage.

"My teammates did everything we could today," said Rapinski, who is 32 seconds off the leaderís jersey. "It was difficult to race the time trial and then travel 3 hours to race here this evening."

"I think next time, it will be better," he said with a grin, hoping for something more than second place.

But for this race, the night belonged to Schmatz. The winner of the Athens Twilight Criterium found the race that suited him, and used the power of teammate John Lieswyn to get him to the end. "
While Saturn used both riders in an initial break of 12 and the chase group to shut down what looked to be a decisive break with 7-Up, Navigators, Schroeder and Jelly Belly, Lieswyn would have none of it and attacked after the peloton regrouped with 20 minutes to go in the race.

Both Navigators and 7-Up kept the pace high, building a 38-second lead with 4 laps to go. Then Lieswyn took off again on the bell lap, and Schmatz said he thought that was it.

"I thought that the race was over," he said.

But as they entered the final turn into the finishing straight, Schmatz found a different line than the other riders that allowed him to pedal through the turn rather then just leaning into it, as most were doing.

"I came out of the last corner just pedaling," he said. ďI never got out of my 13 [cog]."

The win proved sweet for the 7-Up/Maxxis squad, who only has three riders here but animated most of the race in both breaks.

"We were just rolling the dice," he said.

The Nature Valley Grand Prix continues Saturday in the southern Minnesota city of Winona with a 106-mile road race and then will finish in Stillwater, Minn., outside of the Twin Cities with a 70-minute criterium.